Why an Executive Education Course is the Boost Your Career Needs
Steve Jobs once said, “Learn continually – there’s always one more thing to learn!” This holds particularly true in these rapidly evolving times. Education and learning possess a paramount position in our lives. It is not something that begins and ends at the school, college, or university level. Instead, it’s continuous, adapting to the changing needs and priorities of individuals. Whether you are someone who is just about to step into your professional career or you currently occupy a vital position in your organization; you must be sure to dedicate some amount of your time and energy to learning often.
We live in a world that is bearing witness to an evolving market. Due to this, companies are being forced to pivot their well-laid strategies. Unfortunately, in the absence of this many are having to shut down and lay off their employees.
The market expects employees across all positions to deliver on growing demands at such a time. As a working professional, what can you do to meet these demands and expectations? While you may not be able to control the circumstances around you, you certainly can control how you react to them. The intuitive answer is that you must keep learning and upskilling yourself. Nowadays, there are numerous organizations across the globe that are collaborating with the best schools and colleges to provide programs to their leaders and employees. This help professionals meet all kinds of expectations and complications in the market. This is where executive education comes into play.
What is Executive Education?
Unlike other management programs, executive education programs are more pragmatic. The lessons that you will learn through these programs will be your guide when you are required to address issues that affect the organization. Moreover, these programs will assist you in building various competencies to fulfil your professional ambitions, as well as that of your company. This program provides learners with a certificate or diploma after they graduate.
Working professionals can advance their skills and gear up for any kind of situation that they may face in the future. Hence, executive education bridges the gap between the workforce and the market.
The following are some of the topics that are currently covered in this kind of program:
1. Product Management
2. Communication
3. Data Science
4. Digital Marketing
5. Sustainable Development
Are Executive Education Programs the Way to Go?
As an executive or leader, pursuing an executive education program will assist you to move along with the changing business. It is a great route to take to build on your core skills; therefore, staying ahead of the competition around you.
Wondering how? Given below are some of the key features of such a program and factors that will help you advance your career.
1. Broaden your Vision
The more you educate yourself and learn, the more you expand your knowledge and get a deeper insight into various areas. Moreover, you get a chance to interact with professionals who hail from a fusion of business backgrounds through collaboration during assignments. This is another way through which you gain deeper knowledge and insights, allowing you to grow further.
2. Be Guided by Experts
Along with other working professionals, you can also interact with mentors from some of the top business schools, worldwide. Their expertise and experience will be your guide at every phase of your career.
3. A Much-Needed Boost to your Career
Taking up such a program will help refurbish your skills related to business and even make your resume more robust.
4. Gain a Certificate
After you come to the end of the program and are all set to graduate, you will receive a certificate. This will boost your position in your organization and industry.
5. Unconventional Learning
A trained nurse named Younass Idrissi who took up the Mastering Sales Program of Northwestern Kellogg University through Emeritus said, “I want to be a beast in sales. I want to develop, enhance my skills, and grow”. Based on his convenience, he chose the self-paced mode of learning. Choosing this option allowed him to balance his time between pursuing this course and his day job.
As a working professional, you are not expected to take a break from your career in order to complete the course. These programs are designed to your advantage, providing a fine balance between your work and education. When you get to choose how you want to learn, it also facilitates a deeper understanding and learning because you get to apply what you have learned. In the case of Younass too, he got to apply what he learned in his everyday tasks at work.
Review of Executive Education Programs
Based on the MRCI Impact Survey 2021 conducted by Emeritus, 94% of the respondents said that the programs that were offered by Emeritus have impacted their career and professional development in a positive manner.
In the initial part of 2021, Younass Idrissi decided to take up medical sales because he wanted to advance his knowledge in the field. To do so, he enrolled himself in an online course – Mastering Sales Program of Northwestern Kellogg University through Emeritus.
This is what he had to say about the program, “I understood that the aim was to make our lives easier in our careers. The idea of the program – unlike a Master’s Degree – is to help professionals learn in the best way possible. And I really think we learned in the best way possible!” Post the completion of the course, Younass said that doing it helped him in more ways than he had anticipated.
“The tools I learned through one of the best sales courses have helped me navigate my new sales career. It continues to help me post-completion of the program too. I no longer do things the difficult way. Each tool enables me to find an easier way to achieve efficient results and save time. This course is the best thing – a blessing from above – that has happened to my career. I want to thank Emeritus and every person that was part of my learning journey.”
Much like Younass Idrissi, there are other working professionals who have gone on to pursue executive courses through Emeritus. Their aim too has been to advance their respective careers.
Given below is what they had to say about taking it up:
“The online model applied has proven a great way to get into a new field and it has allowed me to think about what other topics I can dig into” – Leandro Ausilio, Business Analytics: From Data to Insights (Wharton Executive Education)
“It’s easy to get into a rut and find that one is not thinking creatively or strategically. This programme re-energized me and enabled me to gain new insights and reconnect with knowledge I already had in a very powerful way. I felt more confident, had renewed energy and started to think and act more creatively and engage in more impactful discussions and strategic thinking sessions with colleagues and clients alike.” – Richard Andrews, Digital Disruption: Digital Transformation Strategies (Cambridge Judge Business School)
“What I loved most was being part of it: being part of the group, being part of the experience, being part of MIT. Of course the acquired knowledge was the most important part, but it could be gained in several different ways. The learning vehicle, the sense of belonging, the interaction with peers and faculty was the key differentiating factor to me” – Luiz Felipe Coury, Mastering Design Thinking (MIT Sloan Executive Education)
“This pandemic has limited all of us in motion, but the existence of this program – allows us to gain useful knowledge and experience. Many of the strategies taught in this program are relevant to current conditions. So that I can stay in my current job well.” – Widya, Product Strategy: Discovering, Developing, Managing and Marketing Products as a Business (Kellogg Executive Education)
“It was easier for me to interpret the reactions of the team into feedback. I was less stressed with misunderstandings, technology failures and respected timelines as well to maintain a proper work-life balance.” – Ektor Kostakis, Smart Teams: Collaboration in the Digital Age (MIT Sloan Executive Education)
Executive education is a whole new avenue for professionals to stay up to date and explore new frontiers throughout their career. Looking to pursue executive education? You’re in the right place. Explore Emeritus programs today!
By Annabel George
